Case Study

The Situation

The Bio-Scrubber® system at the primary treatment facility was in need of an upgrade of existing equipment and the media bed. GES Biotek was called in to inspect and review the 21-year-old Bio-Scrubber® and suggest corrective action.

Inspection revealed that the Crater-Max® media bed was still in good shape, but there were several minor problems with system components. Some spray nozzles were completely clogged, resulting in inconsistent liquid distrubition and dry patches in the media bed. Sump grating was caked with material build-up, and and the mist eliminator module was contaminated with a thick sludge. Other problems included an improperly sized recirculating pump, inoperable differential pressure gauge, and damage to several components as a result of leakage and overflows.

The Solution

Most of the problems were the result of age and maintenance of the system components. The staff maintenance and operations personnel were assembled for a training class. The findings from the inspection were reviewed in detail, and operational corrections were suggested. A Bio-Scrubber® Operation and Maintenance manual was distributed to each participant with a review of the correct operation and checklist for maintenance of all equipment.